Need help with Martial Arts.......?

Question

I want to join a place. Where is the best place to join?

I need some help..I have bad luck when it comes to schools and things like that. I live in NY. I want a good place. a strong place. i wish i had a grandpa who was into this and taught me. but i don't. i want to join a place that is really into it...that really pay attention to every student and...well you get the point. im sure the martial art world is way different then what i've witnessed...but i just want to double check. thanks so much...i hope you don't think this is a stupid question and explanation... i just had way too many bad experiences when it comes to teachers and anything that has to do with school....thanks again...

Answer 1

Sifu Yang Ming seems to be the popular choice here. Depends on where in NY you are, so you gotta specify.

if you are at all near the Queens area you should look up Sifu Steven Ventura. he's a great guy and studied directly under Grandmaster Chan Tai San's lineage. Also in that lineage is Sifu Micheal Parella and Sifu Raphael Gomez, who is my own Sifu. They are located out on Long Island.

Apart from that i couldn't tell you where to find a great teacher. they are rare and hard to come by in an age where martial arts is more a business venture than a way of life.

Hope it helped

Answer 2

You can always take Kung Fu with Sifu Yang Ming; the Shaolin Temple of America is based in New York City.  If you can afford it that is, don't know what the going rates are.  Although I do hear that for a martial arts school the rates are pretty generous and no one is turned away.

To train in Shaolin Kung Fu, you need a minimum of 4 hours.  I believe its 5 forms, 30 stances, and over 100 "stand up grappling" chin na applications.  Is it worth it?  Couldn't tell you, I'm not a Shaolin monk.  Also while Sifu isn't a master, if your average black belt in the U.S. is 5%, Sifu Yang Ming is 150%.

Not a master, but still 150% as opposed to 5%.

How do I know he's not a master?  Two reasons;

1)  His eyes and

2)  Every time people called him "master" in the nat geo documentary he became ill at ease and uncomfortable.  Like he was hiding something; like he had seen someone with frightening skill, but wouldnt' tell anyone.  You're in martial arts over 3 decades you are bound to run into someone with monstrous skill sooner or later.

Look man, I'm not being pretentious or disrespecting the instructor of the Shaolin Temple of America in NYC, I'm just saying he's strikes me as someone that when it comes to Chinese martial arts, and the skill he witnessed in his homeland of China, that there is something he isn't telling us.

Its better not to press the issue though; if out of respect for whatever master he knew back in China he chooses silence, it is better not to even think about it.

How strong do I think Sifu Yang Ming is?  He could probably take on the New York jets all by himself and be the only one left standing, that's how strong.  I'm serious dude; I think he could take them all on, and walk out of the room in good shape.  But I still don't think he's a master, at least I don't think.  Again, I am basing this more on the man's reaction when people called him that, how uncomfortable he looked, than my own judgement or beliefs.

That and Yang Ming doesn't frighten me nearly as much as Gichin Funakoshi did; there is this video on youtube, you see his eyes, and there is like, no fear in them, none.  Truth be told it gives me chills; its scary to think that someone is that skillful.

Still though you're lucky man, master or no, Sifu Yang Ming is still a Shaolin monk, and that is what matters.

good luck.

Answer 3

Sorry if I sound blunt, but you need to read an article I wrote.

I know your pain of searching for a good school.  It seems that finding the right one for you has become increasingly difficult.  And it is actually what inspired me to create my website.

Check out this article on finding and choosing a school.  It will help.

http://www.socalmartialarts.com/choosing...

Hope this helps

Answer 4

dmaud makes a great suggestion: Sifu s**+ Yan Ming is an incredible human being.

Something you should understand: people come and go from martial arts schools constantly. You should go and train, and not concern yourself with whether or not the instructor pays you much mind until you demonstrate that you're going to stick around.

Don't worry about what people think. Be your own highest value and train accordingly. Good luck.